Wardrobe-trunk.



C. G. GRAVES.

WARDRDBE TRUNK.

APPLICATION man M/wzs. w15.

Patented Jim. 9, 1917.

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e. ED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

CHURCHILL Gr. GRAVES, 0F ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE SEWARD TRUNKAND BAG COMPANY, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, .A CORPORATION OF VIRPLCI a iwAEnEoBE-TEUNK.

Application led May 23, 1916.

a compacttrunk which may be readily taken apart, but which is of sturdyconstruction when closed; to provide in connection with such a trunk ahanger-rack suitable for the support of garment hangers, it being one ofthe objects to provide a hanger-rack that may be removed from the trunkas a unit when the latter is opened.

Another obj ect is to provide a hanger-rack with eXtendible portions,which extensions also serve as a garment press.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theformation, combination and arrangement of elements as will be hereindescribed and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of aportion of a ltrunk having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a broken vertical. sectiontaken approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. t is a sideelevational view of one hinge member and Fig. 5 a similar view of thecoperating hinge member as used in connection with the presentinvention.

Referring now to these drawings wherein like parts are lsimilarlydesignated wherever they occur, 1 represents the front portion of thetrunk of my invention, and 2 the rear portion thereto. n

3 represents the lid which is hinged to the top of the rear wall ofportion 2.

The portions 1 and 2 are hinged together along the adjacent verticaledges by means of the hinges t. When the portion 1 is closed upon theportion 2 the lid 3 may be swung around and when closed it overlaps theportions 1 and 2 at 5 thereby .clamping and interlocking the sametogether.

The hinges 4c by means of which the portions 1 and 2 are hinged togetherare constructed as follows: Secured to the portion 2 is a male hingemember Lia, and secured to the portion 1 is a female hinge member 4b.The hinge member la is provided with Specification of Letters fPatent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Serial No. 99,312.

a pintle 4, there being a shoulder 4d at the bottom thereof. rIheportion 4b is provided with a co-engaging eye portion lie, the said eyeof which accommodates the pintle 4c and thebottoin if of the samebearing upon the shoulder ad. A plurality vof these shouldered pintlemembers are secured to the por tion 2 of the trunk and a correspondingnumber of the eye members are disposed at intervals along the edges ofthe portion 1 so as to aline with the pintles on the other portion. Thepintles are all turned in one direction so that when the lid of thetrunk 'is swung back and the trunk opened the portion 1 may be liftedolf the hinges and placed in another part of the room. Thus each?portion of my trunk will serve as an individual article of furniture ina room.

My trunk is provided further with a rack for clothes hangers, the sameconsisting of a frame work of dimensions suitable for admission withinthe upper portion of the trunk; this frame work is composed of parallelmembers 6 which are disposed along either side ofthe cavity of the trunknear the top of same with a connecting member 7 'extending from one tothe other across the rear wall of the trunk and near the top thereof.From these parallel members there are extending downwardly andrearwardly to the rear wall of tli'e trunk a pair' of braces 8 andconnecting the lower ends of these braces is a second connecting member9 which extends likewise across the rear wall of the trunk and at somedistance below the member 8. A vertical tie 10 connects the members 7and 9, this bar extending slightly above the member 7, vand beingprovided with an eye 11 which serves as means for hanging up thehanger-rack when removed from the trunk upon any co-engaging means, asfor example a nail iii-the wall. AffiXed to the inner walls of the trunkare brackets 12, the same being provided with outstanding corrugations13 which overlie offset portions of the parallel members 6 and serve toretain these parallel membersp. in their guides or ways. Thus are formedcoengaging and interlocking slideways in and out of the trunk for theparallel ,members 6 in their brackets 12. These brackets are providedwith overturned portions 14 at the bottom with a space between whichaccommodates the lower edges 15 of the parallel members 6. The parallelmembers are pro- `between the two walls of the metal.

vided with, inwardly over-turnedportions 16 at their upper edges with aninterval turned ends of the connecting bar 7 and ing through the twowalls of the parallel members and tying the parts together re-lspectively. The bottoms of the braces 8 are o turned inwardly and to therear of the same at 19 are riveted the ends of the cross member 9. Thusit will be seen that the entire hanger-rack may be slid out of the trunkas a unit when the front is removed and may be carried about and hung inanother part of the room. In order to provide simple means for removingthe hanger-rack and for carrying the same when removed from the trunk Ihave provided a bail 20, the side members 21 of which are pivoted at 22to the parallel vmembers 6, the cross bar 23 extending from one sidemember 21 to the other;v this bail as shown may be swung down to theposition as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 or may be raised forcarrying to the full line position. The bail preferably extends,v abovethe limits of the cavity of the trunk when thev same is in the uprightposition. The hangers slide upon rounded upper edge of the parallelmembers and may be slid back close together when the trunk is closed.The bail members 21 are pivoted to the members 6 above the convolutions13 and are then bent outwardly at 24 so as to give clearance for theends of the garment hangers.

In korder that the hangers 25 maybe separated and the garments readilyremoved I provide extensions 26 from the slideways or parallel members6, the same being pivoted at 27 to the parallel members and the innerends of the same 4being provided with elongated slots 28; Pins 29 areinserted through the walls of the parallel members 6 and the Vslots 2S'slidably accommodate the pins 29 which pass therethrough-` The innerends roller y' clothes press. with the garments `thereon are pushed back,against falling.

of the extension 26 extend between the walls ofthe parallel members 6and underlie overturned portions 16 thereof, so that when the pins 29are in the outer ends of the slots 28 the` inner ends of the extensionswill fall well under the overturned portions 16 and the extensionsl willbe thereby supported When the extensions are drawn outward SO that thepins occupy the rear ends ofthe slots the extensions may be swungdownward about the pins as an axis.

At the outer ends of the extensions 26 I provide a roller 30 whichextends from one tothe other ofthe same, the roller being journaled at33 in the ends of the extensions. This roller is `preferably coveredwith velvet or similar material and constitutes a When the hangers 25The to the rear of the. trunk, the extensions which comprise the rollerclothes press may be swung downwardly and rearwardly, pressing thegarments tightly against the rear wall ofthe trunk. Notched brackets 31are provided on the inner walls of the trunk which cooperate withprojecting pins 32 from the roller to hold the roller press againstreturn movement. The notches in the brackets 31 are open at their upperedges for the admission of the pins 32, and the roller is lifted as aunit to bring the pins 32 into and out of engagement with the notches;hence in order to apply and release the roller from these notches thelower ends of the extensions are slotted at 34 for the journals 33instead of being simply pierced. Vhen the roller is inserted in asuitable pair of notches it may then be rotated and the clothing therebydrawn down by the movement thereof instead of remaining bunched andwrinkled.

bodiment are of a well-known commercial form made by punching a seriesof substantially rectangular holes in a flat plate of thin metal, andthen, bending this plate of metal into right-angled portions along aline passing through the series of holes, and then again bending theseportions of the plate along parallel lines, so as to provide edgessuitable for contacting the sides of the trunk. Retaining rivets arepassed through one of these edges and the trunk walls. Thus when theseplates are so formed into brackets the rectangular holes ,form therequired notches, the upper portions of the holes providing horizontalopenings for the admission of the ends of the pins 32 and the lowerportions of the holes forming the retaining notches whichl prevent thereturn movement of the roller Vpress until the roller is lifted upwardin the slots 34 so as to raise the projecting ends of the pins 33entirely clear of the notches in the brackets 31. Vhile this form ofnotched bracket is depicted in the drawings, it will be understood thatthe particular form is immaterial, this style being used because it maybe purchased from manufacturers of trunk hardware.

I have thus described the present embodiment of my invention. It will beevident that those skilled in the art may make alterations in the samewithin the scope of the claims without departing from the'spiritthereof.

That I claim is:

1. In a wardrobe trunk, a hanger rack comprising a frame work ofdimensions suitable for admission within the said trunk, said frame-workembodying spaced parallel members disposed along both sides of thecavity of the trunk near the top thereof and having a connecting memberextending from one of said parallel members to the other along the rearof the trunk, braces extending from the said parallel members downwardlyand rearwardly to the rear wall of said trunk and having a connectingmember extending from one brace to the other against the rear wall ofthe trunk, a vertical tie member connecting the last said connectingmember with the rst one, brackets aflixed to the inside of the sidewalls having slideways adapted to receive and slidably accommodate thesaid parallel members, the said frame-work being slidably removable fromthe said trunk and said brackets as a unit.

2. In a wardrobe trunk, a hanger-rack comprising a fra1ne-work ofdimensions suitable for admission within the said trunk, said frame-workembodying spaced parallel members disposed along both sides of thecavity of the trunk near the top thereof and having aconnecting memberextending from one of said parallel members to the other along the rearof the trunk, braces extending from the said parallel members downwardlyand rearwardly to the rear wall of said trunk and having a connectingmember extending from one brace to the other against the rear wall ofthe trunk, a vertical tie member connecting the last said conneotingmember with the first one, brackets affixed to the inside of the sidewalls having slideways adapted to receive and slidably accommodate thesaid parallel members, the said frame-work being slidably removable fromsaid trunk and said brackets as a unit, means in the rear of saidframe-work and near the top thereof formed for engagement with asupporting member.

3. In a wardrobe trunk, a hanger-rack comprising a frame-work ofdimensions suitable for admission within the said trunk, said frame-workembodying hanger ways along the inner walls of the trunk, bracketssecured to the inner walls of the trunk adapted to retain and supportthe said hanger-rack, a lid on said trunk adapted to retain the saidhanger-rack within the said brackets, and said hangerrack beingremovable as a unit from the said brackets and trunk when the said lidis open, and having means for its support against a wall when removedfrom the said trunk.

4. In a wardrobe trunk, a hanger-rack comprising a frame-work ofdimensions 'suitable for admission within the said -said hanger-rack, alid on said trunk adapted to retain the said hanger-rack within the saidbrackets, the said hangerrack being removable as a unit from the saidbrackets and trunk when the said lid is open, and a bail extending fromside to side of the said frame-work and being pivoted thereto, the saidbail being adapted to be swunk about its pivot as an axis from anupright position above the cavity of the trunk to a substantiallyhorizontal position in which latter position the bail falls within thecavity of the trunk.

5. A wardrobe trunk having an open front side, a pair of hanger waysdisposed along the inside of the side walls of the trunk and near thetop thereof, said hanger ways having projecting pins near their frontends and having overturned portions above the said pins, outwardextensions from said hanger ways having elongated slots at their innerends, the said slots embracing and accommodating the said pins and theinner ends of the said extensions underlying the said overturnedportions of the hanger ways, the slots in the said extensions being sodispo-sed that the inner ends of the extensions will engage the over`turned portions of the hanger ways when the p ins are in the outer endsof the slots and thereby support the extensions in extended position andbeing formed further so that when the said pins occupy the rear ends ofthe said slots the said extensions may swing downwardly and rearwardlyabout said pins as an axis, a transverse member extending transverselyof the trunk from the outer end of one of said exten-A sions to theouter end of thev other, and means carried by the inner faces of theside walls of the trunk for holding said extensions from returnmovement.

6. A wardrobe trunk having an open front side, a pair of hanger waysdisposed along the inside of the side walls of the trunk and near thetop thereof, said hanger ways having projecting pins near their frontends and having overturned portions above the said pins, outwardextensions from said hanger ways having elongated slots at their innerends, the said slots embracing and accommodating the said pins and theinner ends of the said extensions underlying the said overturnedportions of the hanger ways, the slots in the said extensions being sodisposed that the inner ends of the extensions will engage theoverturned portions of the hanger w'ays when the pins are in the outerends of the slots and thereby support the extensions in extendedposition and being formed further so that when the said pins occupy therear ends of the said slots the said extensions may swing downwardly andrearwardly about said pins as an axis, a transverse roller extendingfrom one of said extensions to the other, the said roller beingjournaled in the outer ends of the said extensions, and means carried bythe inner faces of the side walls of the trunk for holding 1G slots attheir inner ends, the saidslots emsaid roller Vand extensions fromreturn movement.

7. A Wardrobe f trunk having an open front side, a pair of hanger Waysdisposed along the inside of the side Walls of the trunk and near thetop thereof, said hanger `Ways having projecting pins near their frontends and having overturned portions above the -said pins, outwardextensions from said hanger waysV having elongated bracing .andaccommodating the said pins and the inner ends of the said extensionsunderlying the said overturned portions of the hanger Ways, the slots inthe said extensions being so disposed that the inner ends of theextensions will engage the overturned portions of the hanger Ways whenthe pins are in the outer ends of theslots and thereby support theextensions in extended position and being formed further so that whenthe said pins occupy the rear ends ofthe said slots the said extensionsmay swing downwardly and rearwardly about said pins as an axis, Vatransverse roller extending from one of said extensions to the other,the said roller being ournaled in the outer ends oi' the saideXtensions, and means for holding said roller end extensions from returnmovement, said means embodying arcuate notched plates secured to theinner faces of the trunk Walls and the said roller being provided withprojecting pins adapted to engage the notches in the said notched plate.

8. In a Wardrobe trunk, clothing hangers, means for supporting the sameadjacent a Wall of the trunk, a press adapted to be forced against theclothing hung therefrom and to hold the same against the adjacent trunkwall, said press comprising movable brackets with a roller jo'urnaledtherein, said roller being disposed to contact the clothing and beingrevoluble thereagainst.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

Y CHURCHILL GRAVES.

Witnesses PAUL L. BIBB, D. V. DES PORTES.

`(Sapies of this. ,partent :nay be obtained for jive cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

